Sunday, November 9, 2014

Way more fun with truTV

TruTV is an American cable TV channnel, originally known as Court TV and dedicated to court proceedings. Over time, the channel has switched over to a format based on reality shows. Back in July, the channel revealed a slightly altered logo when it announced that it was about to tweak its format by introducing new programmes. The logo, and the new programmes, launched last month, on October 27. The visual identity was developed by New York-based brand design agency Loyalkaspar.

Unlike other reality programming, which is conflict-driven, "the new truTV" is "devoted to fun". This was summed up in the new slogan, "Way more fun". In the slightly altered logo, the word TV has been elevated because "TV is an amazing place to be". More importantly, the 'TV' part can also be removed to instead include different icons in imaginative ways.

Previous logo.

The original version of this logo was introduced in January 2008 when TruTV changed its name from Court TV. It was designed by Los Angeles-based Troika Design Group.

A set of "brand bursts" include people from TruTV shows in fun situations:

Quote from a press release:

"truTV tapped entertainment branding agency loyalkaspar for a brand image refresh in conjunction with the rollout of the network's new programming slate. truTV's reinvigorated tone and voice is highlighted by an updated logo, refreshed brand environments, and “Way More Fun,” a new slogan that signals truTV's push into lighter, more fun entertainment. The rebrand culminated the week of October 27th with four new series, “Hair Jacked,” “Fake Off,” “How to Be a Grown Up,” and “Friends of the People,” as well as new episodes of returning hit “The Carbonaro Effect.”

"truTV's brand refresh extends beyond our new slate of programming to include the look of the brand and its messaging," said Chris Linn, president, head of programming for truTV. "We're excited to be working with loyalkaspar to bring the visual aspect of truTV's brand refresh to life in a way that is, to put it simply, 'Way More Fun.'"

“truTV’s programming shift is a big change, and it significantly opened our brand exploration to new and exciting heights,” remarks loyalkaspar Creative Director Daniel Dörnemann, who led the multimedia branding effort on the agency side. “It was great collaborating with truTV – not only as a creative partner, but also a strategic partner.”"

"truTV engaged loyalkaspar to create a flexible icon system to express truTV's unique mix of content – from comedy to action and competition – in one graphic language. Featuring a range of illustrations and two-tone color combinations, it was conceived to live across the entire brand ecosystem, including the newly redesigned truTV.com, Watch truTV app, and social media. Further connecting the brand, the icons work off the circle of the refreshed logo, reflecting the network’s diverse programming, as well as platforms and navigational tools."

"“It's a conceptual evolution of the previous logo,” says Dörnemann. “The dot symbolizes the network mantra to elevate TV entertainment in a fun way. The circle of the ‘TV’ and the icons also represent the idea that truTV is an entire experience, whether you access it on traditional channels or online.”

“The challenge was to bring fun to the animation in a way that supported a premium quality of the network,” explains Dörnemann.

Overall, the in-program messaging aims to respect the viewer and the content by keeping such interruptions elegantly minimal yet bursting with vibrant personality.

“You don't want to over-sell or over-promise to the point that expectations become higher than actual experience,” says Dörnemann. “We stressed clear over clever to let the content be the hero and the focus. This served our big-picture brand strategy well, which was to make truTV a more fun, conversational place, especially with its departure from conflict-driven TV. The new slogan, ‘Way More Fun,’ reinforces this idea perfectly in a bold yet lighthearted spirit.”

Further emphasizing content while infusing personality into the network brand, the graphics package combines the show icons and talent with a range of typefaces and color palettes to promote and distinguish myriad show titles. At the same time, it was important to retain the show personalities for existing audiences, but still connect everything back to the network. loyalkaspar’s solution allowed for both without cluttering the screen with different show logos.

loyalkaspar used talent photography and video footage to emphasize the network personalities front and center in a premium way. They conducted three talent shoots in Atlanta and New York.

“It was a collective, seamless effort working with their broadcast and digital departments,” concludes Dörnemann. “truTV was very trusting of our ideas, and it was a rare and welcome pleasure having a direct line to Chris Linn from the outset. We had an amazing collaboration.”"